Monsanto appreciates the media in their important role of informing the public and stakeholders on food and agricultural issues. We all need good food. And thus, food is a subject that has a broad general interest.

By repeating misinformation, Zembla Internationaal’s rebroadcast of the French program ‘De GEN-tech lobby’ via NPO2 tonight denies the Dutch public the balanced view they deserve on the issues it raises.

As one of the world’s leading producers of vegetable seeds, we believe in an open and balanced dialogue on complex issues such as genetic modification, intellectual property and the use of pesticides. We routinely invest time to help journalists better understand what we do, including significant investments in agricultural innovation to help feed a growing global population.

Unfortunately, the French film that Zembla has chosen to retransmit demonstrates no desire to understand or convey factual information, but rather presents a slanted version of reality that says more about the power of environmental campaigners to lobby journalists than it does about the power of Monsanto. (We already reacted to that program publicly when it was first aired last September: In French; In English.)

For example, in its online promotion of the program, Zembla suggests that Monsanto is trying to further expand the sale of genetically modified seeds in Europe. This is simply not the case, as anyone who bothered to check our public statements on this matter can see.

Monsanto’s business in Europe focuses on traditional (e.g. non-GM) seeds. We only sell one sort of GM seed in Europe, almost entirely in Spain, and it accounts for less than half a percent of our sales in Europe. We do participate in public discussions of biotechnology because of our interest in seeing it develop in other parts of the world, but we effectively stopped investing in new GM seeds in Europe years ago. So Zembla’s program is based on information that is dated at best, and misleading in the extreme.

We’ve highlighted a few further examples of flaws in Zembla’s program below.

We invite all Dutch media to share their knowledge and thoughts with us, listen to our views and to those of many others in our sector and then report on the basis of balanced, objective information.

If individuals have experienced injuries this is indeed a very difficult time for the individuals concerned, their friends and their families. However, this is not to say that Monsanto’s products are the cause and it would be inaccurate to make this assertion. There is no demonstrated link between the injuries described in the film and Monsanto’s products. In Europe and elsewhere the active ingredient of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, glyphosate, is undergoing a routine, independent and comprehensive 10 years safety review which considers any new science which may have arisen since the last safety assessment. As part of this detailed review the German government authorities have expressly concluded that glyphosate “has limited toxicity for man, animals and the environment; is not neurotoxic, carcinogenic or mutagenic; is not toxic to reproduction or development, does not have endocrine disrupting properties; is not bio-accumulative or persistent and has minimal toxicity for bees.“ http://www.glyphosate.eu/industry-task-force-welcomes-important-step-eu-review-glyphosate

The film focuses on the publications of the controversial French scientist Gilles-Eric Seralini. However this work has been analyzed and categorically dismissed by almost all balanced and impartial scientists, including The European Food Safety Authority: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/121128.htm

Seralini’s paper was withdrawn from the journal that first published it due to the tremendous criticism of this study from his peers. A journal in which the article was later republished is a pay-for-play journal that is not taken seriously in the scientific community.

He [Monsanto CEO] says the bans are “unfortunate” but Monsanto’s growth forecasts assume no expansion whatsoever of its genetically modified seed business in Europe. “From a business-planning point of view, as we build our future projections, we’re not holding our breath or waiting for Europe. You could build a plan and say: ‘If only Europe…’, but I don’t think that’s the way you run a business. We say: ‘Europe’s going to make up its own mind in its own time.’”